2025 Bow Swap Progress Thread

[EvilDogBeast]

Reminders   

Signup Closes:  7 February 2025
Assignments Sent Out:  11 February 2025
Official Build Period:  12 February 2025 - 2 June 2025
Grace Period:  3 June 2025 - 27 June 2025

Minimum one post per week!

**You MUST post a full-draw picture upon receipt of your bow.  NO EXCEPTIONS!**

Good luck everyone. 

*Build and Grace Period dates adjusted to reflect assignment delay.*

[EvilDogBeast]

Running behind as per usual.  Assignments should be finished up and sent out by tomorrow.  Build dates adjusted to reflect.

[kennym]

Will ship Wednesday 

[4 point]

I started a little early. Fitted a riser up last weekend. Wanta be done before the weather warms up.

[dbeaver]

Ive been in the mental game of designing my first template and first recurve. Pretty close to picking up form materials

[Watsonjay]

Waiting to hear draw length before I decide to pick a bow design. Im really excited. I was looking back at last years builds and I definitely dont feel worthy. But thanks for letting me in anyhow.

[Mo_coon-catcher]

While picking a black locust stave from the shed for a project last weekend I noticed a nice persimmon stave on top of the hoard and I havnt worked persimmon in a while. I also realized I havnt worked a good black walnut bow in a while either. So I'll pick between those when I get a name. I doubt I'll go after anything highly charactered this year.

Kyle

[dbeaver]

nice kyle, i wouldnt mind any of those if i was the victim.

If you do black walnut do you keep it mostly sapwood, ive read a tiny bit about black walnut selfbows but the only log i ever scored was twisting about a quarter turn and checking

[Watsonjay]

Do any of you guys have a good how to on doing the footed/ribbon cut veneers. I saw a couple of you did that last year. I've never done it but was thinking I could use my laser engraver to make the perfect cuts just gluing back together is unknown to me. Or maybe there is an easier way.

[dbeaver]

Footed riser https://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=154409.0

You need to glue up all the stripe pieces to the riser at 1 time, top stripe. Like mike said
Then cut the riser again for  the second stripe, bottom stripe

I don't know of a build along.
Thickness pieces of .062 or less will do most bends
Maybe this will help.
This is 2 separate builds

blocks are 2x2x 3/4 and 2x2x 3/16
glue them together.


Resaw and grind to .050, these need to be sanded


Phenolic ground to .0375---total stack 1/8"



There is some info here but, same as I said
http://www.tradgang.com/tgsmf/index.php?topic=152514.100

[Watsonjay]

I apologize, I meant Limb veneers. What is that really white wood in the accent stripes though?

[dbeaver]

Oh. Grab 2 wood species thick enough to resaw veneers from and wide enough to cover you bow limb.  Make a pattern, a lot are a soft s curve, Cut out on bandsaw and fine tune with whatever sanding options you have until you get perfect fit,  you can now add some fancy mosaic strip, or other thin laminations as you glue the block up.  Square up the block when youre done, and resaw the face that has the pattern. Grind it to thickness and there is your veneer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d36fXljZfbQ

thats a clip of someone squaring one up

[Watsonjay]

Okay, so start thick then cut down thin and I guess run through a drum sander to get to veneer thickness. I though you guys used veneers, then cut to shape and glued the ends together. I know rookie but Im learning a lot from you guys. Thank you.

[sman]

I build a template out of plexiglass and use a 3/16 spiral router bit.  Using a plunge router I take small passes until I'm all the way through

[Watsonjay]

That's really slick

[Mo_coon-catcher]

Dbeaver - I've made a couple walnut bows of each way. Right under the bark, chasing the sapwood down to 1-2 rings thick so I get a flame of color up the belly, and all heartwood. I can say, the heartwood make a good performer but is more brittle. An all sapwood is more likely to take set and or be a dog in performance. The  chase ring is a good middle ground and the best looker with the greens and blues as the rings transition from sap to heart.

Kyle

[EvilDogBeast]

Almost finished, had to go to work. I'll make the final assignments and send PMs when I get home.

[Watsonjay]

Almost finished, had to go to work. I'll make the final assignments and send PMs when I get home.

Thank you for coordinating this, Im sure it takes a bit of work.

[4 point]

Think this is what I'm going with.

[Watsonjay]

Think this is what I'm going with.

Is that osage and walnut?